The best Oasis songs of all time, ranked

1994

Wrier: Noel Gallagher

What’s Liam Gallagher’s favourite Oasis song? Live Forever, according to an interview he gave with Radio X in 2019. It’s one of Noel’s favourites too. He has said it’s one of the benchmarks by which he judges his new songs. The lyrics were written as ode to the Gallaghers’ mother.

1996

Writer: Noel Gallagher

Ready for a surprising fact? Oasis classic Champagne Supernova was not released as a single in the UK. However, it did make it to the top spot of the US “Alternative” chart. The song features vocal and guitar lines recorded by Paul Weller, and some signature nonsense lyrics from Noel who, by his own admission, spent much of the early Oasis years high on cocaine.

1996

Writer: Noel Gallagher

Few Oasis songs show off Gallagher’s John Lennon obsession more than Don’t Look Back in Anger. From the mellotron strings to the Imagine-indebted piano intro and the round glasses Noel wears in the music video, it’s all there to see. Its chorus (and the verses, come to think of it) have a singular sing-along appeal, though.

1994

Writer: Noel Gallagher

Proof that Oasis did not instantly rocket to the spotlight, their first single Supersonic only made it to number 31 on the UK chart, in 1994. As you might imagine, it has made up for that, going on to sell over 200,000 copies. Noel reportedly wrote the song in a break from recording while the rest of the band ate a Chinese takeaway.

1995
Writer: Noel Gallagher

This was Oasis’ first number one single. According to a Q Magazine interview with Noel Gallagher, the song was played faster than the band intended, but the vocal track was so strong the recording was kept. But as such, it serves as a good representation of the swagger of Oasis’ earlier music.

1995

Writer: Noel Gallagher

Noel Gallagher says he regrets releasing the Masterplan as a B-side, part of the Wonderwall release. As such it can be found as part of the The Masterplan B-sides compilation, as well as What’s the Story (Morning Glory). The song does not feature Liam Gallagher. But it does feature nods to The Beatles, with snippets from Octopus’s Garden sung by Noel.

1996

Writer: Noel Gallagher

Here’s another Oasis classic that was only ever a B-side, to Some Might Say. This was reportedly Noel Gallagher’s choice. Creation records boss Alan McGee tried to convince the band to release the song as a single. It was also the first released song to feature both Gallagher brothers on vocals.

1994
Writer: Noel Gallagher, Neil Innes

Noel Gallagher was accused of plagiarism for Whatever, a 1995 single. The source? How Sweet to be an idiot, by Neil Innes of the Rutles and Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band. Gallagher settled out of court, sharing the songwriting credit (and royalties). Give it a listen on Spotify and you can’t help but notice the similarity.

1995

Writer: Noel Gallagher

Wonderwall is a sure candidate for the most popular Oasis song among the UK-wide population. It was also the first single Oasis released in the US, and their best-selling of the band’s history. And that famous cello sound played throughout? It’s actually a mellotron, a tape-based synthesiser also used to great effect on The Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever.

1995

Writer: Noel Gallagher

According to a Noel Gallagher interview, Cast No Shadow was written about The Verve singer Richard Ashcroft. You might expect this to cause a feud, but Ashcroft was apparently honoured, according to an interview with Q Magazine. This was an album track from What’s the Story (Morning Glory).

1994

Writer: Noel Gallagher

In the mid-90s the Gallagher brothers were tabloid favourites, emblematic of a distasteful boozed-up swagger, to some. What better shorthand is there for that than a song called Cigarettes & Alcohol? A cover of The Beatles’ I Am the Walrus was the single’s B-side, matching reverence with the single’s irreverence.

1994
Writer: Noel Gallagher

The song that non-Oasis fans are most likely to have a great deal of affection for. Why? It was the theme tune to classic BBC sitcom The Royle family. They might be surprised to hear it was not a standalone single, but a B-side to Whatever. You'll find it on The Masterplan, 1998’s collection of B-sides.

Slide Away is one of the very best by Oasis and definitely the one with the best lyrics. Noel pours his soul into the song's couplets. We dare you not to cry when you hear the heartbreaking lines: "I dream of you and we talk of growing old. But you said please don't." Oof. Both backing and lead singing is perfect, making the song a bastard to try and sing in the shower

2002

Writer: Noel Gallagher

This track was not in our initial selection of the best ever Oasis songs. But the people have spoken — Stop Crying Your Heart Out's music video has attracted over 134 million views on YouTube, making it the third most-viewed song on Oasis's own channel. This was the second single from Heathen Chemistry, and reached number one in the UK charts. It also had something of a second life, released as a cover version by Leona Lewis in 2009.

2002

Writer: Noel Gallagher

Released as a double A-side with the less well-remembered She is Love, Little by Little reached number two on the UK singles chart back in 2002. This was the third single from Heathen Chemistry, Oasis's fifth album. While a straightforward composition, the vocal lick of the chorus is a real low-key ear worm.

It was the song that was part of the Blur Vs Oasis feud in the charts - while it didn't manage to get to number one (Country House was the poppy popular winner), it's still a stonking old-school tune from Oasis, with a verse that acts like a chorus and vice versa. Liam sings his heart out on a song about being yourself - something Oais definitely were at the time.

2005
Writer: Noel Gallagher

This is one of Oasis’ last singalong “classics”. Lyla was the band’s seventh number one single, released in 2005. The song comes from the Don’t Believe the Truth album. NME called the single “barnstorming”, even if the album only came out with three stars. It’s latter-day drunk-on-Fosters sing-song Oasis, complete with perhaps the most dogged snare line in the band’s entire catalogue.